Karmê Chöling : Meditation Retreat Center

EVERYDAY FROM 17:30-18:30
Losar
The first day of the Tibetan new year is known as “Losar.” As the old year draws to a close, according to tradition, the accumulated negative karma from that year ripens and begins to surface. This means people are more likely to lose their focus and mindfulness, leading to an increase in accidents, misunderstandings, and problems in many areas of life, from personal relationships to global events.
Dön Season
To help counter these negative energies that can come up at the end of the year, we have 10 special days called the "Dön Season" which directly precedes Losar. During this time there are extra protector chants in the evening, including multiple recitations of Pacifying the Turmoil of the Mamos or the "Mamo Chants". These chants help pacify the personal, social, and environmental karmic causes of chaos and discord that has accumulated throughout the year due to unmindful acts.
The Mamos
What are the Mamos? They are described as furious, ugly beings. They can act as protectors and reminders of awareness when we are open to their message, or as chaos if we don't pay attention. But they "...are nothing else than projections of the richness of our own minds. By supplicating them, we are in fact rousing confidence in our own buddha nature." (From the Shambhala Office of Practice and Education)
Pacifying the Turmoil of the Mamos is an elaborate offering. We pacify the mamos so they will not cause chaos but instead help us wake up. By reciting the chant, we connect to the protector principle of awareness and reconnect with sacred outlook. It is not the mamos that cause us to “eat bad cheap food or wear clothes of rags,” as the chant says. It is our own confusion at work that causes us to lose mindfulness. The mamos can protect against this confusion.
By cultivating awareness of our minds, our thinking and our emotions, when a negative emotion arises we don’t automatically react to it. Instead there is a little gap between the impulse and acting it out. That gap allows us to respond more consciously, remembering our own fundamental goodness and recognizing the goodness in others as well.

The Sadhana of Mahamudra was written by Chögyam Trungpa Rinopche, with the intent of overcoming the physical, psychological and spiritual obstacles that materialism poses to us in this modern age.
Through relating with the vibrant imagery presented in the Sadhana, as well as actively participating in the chanting, visualization, and recitation of mantras, we invoke a basic sense of sanity and clarity. When we commit to this wakefulness it profoundly impacts not only our meditation practice but our everyday lives and the broader world around us.
Join the Karmê Chöling household for the Sadhana of Mahamudra during our evening practice session on the new moon. The sadhana takes most of the hour with an abbreviated list of closing chants at the end.

A Simple Meditation Retreat

Delight in the magic of winter at Karmê Chöling and embrace relaxation and wakefulness in the beautiful snow covered foothills of Northern Vermont.
This retreat is an opportunity to settle in — to let your mind rest and recover from the demands of the busyness and expectations we all place on ourselves. Allow time to slow down, and check in with yourself and your thoughts.
During this program we will create a warm and inviting atmosphere through simple mindful meditation practice, contemplations and the camaraderie of each other. Here you can:

• Step out of your usual patterns of daily life
• Slow down
• Relax your mind and become fully present
• Look inward, gently coming to know yourself more fully

Let yourself settle and heal in the hush of winter. Find solice in time taken for yourself and cultivate resilience for the life you'll return home to!
Great for friends, couples, or individuals.

### General Schedule

• 7:30 am Optional sitting
• 8:00 Breakfast
• 9:00 Morning Session

instruction and practice

• (mid-morning break)
• 12:00 Morning Session Ends
• 12:30 lunch
• 1:00 ROTA (light service task)
• 3:00 Afternoon Session
• 4:00 Tea Break
• 4:30 Afternoon Session Resumes
• 6:00 Afternoon Session Ends
• 6:30 Dinner
• 7:30 Optional sitting

Note: A 50% deposit is required to reserve your accommodation.